Tube like containers for food and a variety of other substances



March 12, 1963 w. H. LAND 3,081,006

TUBE LIKE CONTAINERS FOR FOOD AND A VARIETY OF OTHER SUBSTANCES FiledOct. 13, 1959 15 a 1 Ill 2Z1. v i" 9 [w 'j *5 4 J 8 z United StatesPatent 3,081,006 TUBE LIKE CONTAINERS FOR FOOD AND A VARIETY OF OTHERSUBSTANCES Walter Henry Land, 4 James St, Glen I-Iuntly, Victoria,Australia Filed Oct. 13, 1959, Ser. No. 846,104 Claims priority,application Australia Oct. 13, 1958 g 3 Claims. (Cl. 222212) Thisinvention relates to tube like containers for marketing and dispensing awide variety of paste like substances. More particularly, the inventionconcerns collapsible tubes of the kind fitted at one end with adischarge nozzle which is provided with a detachable closure cap so thatthe contents of the tube may be discharged as required simply bysqueezing the opposite end of the tube.

Hitherto, such tube like containers have been almost invariably formedfrom relatively soft metal which remains in a flattened state when thecontents have been discharged or partially discharged and thus providesthe user with a visual indication as to how much of the contents stillremains in the tube.

it has previously been proposed to manufacture such tube like containersfrom various plastic materials including the substance known under thetrademarks Polytheme and P.V.C. However, such plastic containers areconsidered unsuitable for many substances as they tend to remain intheir expanded tube like form after having been squeezed to expelportion of the contents and thus do not provide the usual visualindication of the amount of the substance still remaining in the tubefor future use.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improvedtube like container of the kind indicated which is composed of plasticmaterial, but is adapted to avoid the objection mentioned. The improvedcontainer is thus adapted for marketing and dispensing a wide variety offoods and numerous other products of a viscose or paste like nature. 7

In addition the improved container is of particularly simple design andconstruction with the result that its cost of production issubstantially less than that of correspondingly sized collapsible tubescomposed of metal.

According to the present invention the improved container includes atubular body portion composed of fiexi ble material and a non-returnvalve unit within said body portion adjacent to but spaced inwardly fromits discharge nozzle, said valve unit consisting of an apertured disclike member extending transversely of said body portion and adisplaceable membrane like member on that side of the disc facing thenozzle and adapted to overlie the aperture in said disc whereby aftersome of the contents of the container have been discharged bycompressing the body portion, the influence of atmospheric pressure onthe paste like material remaining between the valve unit and the nozzlecauses such material to function as a ram and press the flap back intofirm engagement with said apertured disc thus preventing the compressedpart of said tubular body portion from returning to its original shape.

Referring to the drawings which form part of this specification- FIGURE1 is a part sectional side elevation of a tube like container inaccordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view, on an enlarged scale, or theupper end portion of the improved container in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 3 is a similar view to FIGURE 2 showing a modification of theinvention.

FIGURE 4 is another similar perspective view of a further modification.

3,081,006 Patented Mar. 12, 1963 The improved container has a bodyportion 2 formed from Polythene, P.V.C. or any other suitable flexibleplastic material of a kind which may be readily moulded or otherwiseformed into a tube of any desired diameter and length. i

This tube like body portion is provided at one end with a top Wall 3which may be of substantially truncated conical form terminating in anaxial nozzle 4 fitted with a screw cap or any other suitable type ofstopper.

The opposite end of the body portion is closed in any suitable manner.For example, it may be heat sealed as at 7 by fol-ding and pressing thefolded portion of the tube together after the container has been filledwith the product being marketed.

The aforesaid undesirable feature of plastic tubes tending to retaintheir tubular shape after some of the contents have been expelled is dueto the fact that air is normally able to leak back into the containerafter the discharge of portion of the contents. In order to prevent orat least reduce to a minimum, air from rc-entering the tubular bodyport-ion of the container, the latter is fitted near the top wall withan improved type of non-return valve unit. This unit includes a disclike member or plate 8 which is preferably relatively stiff but at thesame time sufiiciently resilient that it will substantially retain orreturn to its original form if it is temporarily deformed when in use.For this purpose, the disc like member may also be composed of plasticmaterial and may have a plurality of stiifening ribs on the inner facethereof.

The disc may have a thickness of the order of one thirty-second of aninch 0& more or less and may be secured in position within the tube forexample, at or ad acent to the junction between the top wall 3 and theadjacent end of the tubular body. For this purpose that part of the topwall remote from the discharge nbzzle may be provided with a circularrecess 9 to receive the marginal edge portion of the disc and if desireda number of circumferentially spaced and inwardly projecting ribs 11seen more clearly in FIGURE 2, may be formed on the top wall at the sideof the recess to provide a firm seating for the disc and thus opposeundue deformation thereof while the contents of the tube are being discharged.

The disc like member 8 is provided with a central aperture 12 covered bymembrane like member 13 which may be in the form of a flap secured byheat sealing or in any other suitable manner to the disc at one side ofthe central aperture thereof so that most of the flap may be displacedtowards the discharge nozzle and permit the contents of the tube to passout through the aperture in the disc when the tube is squeezed. Uponrelease of the inward pressure on the tube like body portion the flap 13is freed to move back into close contact with the disc member 8 underthe influence of atmospheric pressure acting on the paste like materialremaining in the body portion on the discharge side of the flap, thuspreventing the entry of air to the container after the flap has beenpressed into close engagement with the disc.

The membrane like flap is also composed of any suitable type of plasticmaterial and its principal characteristic feature is that it isrelatively thin in relation to the disc in that its thickness is ofapproximately two thousandths of an inch more or less. Such a thin flapreadily conforms to any slight irregularities on the face of the discmember and ensures desirable close contact therewith.

It will be obvious that the disc like member may be provided with morethan one aperture therethrough if so desired.

According to a modification as illustrated in FIGURE 3 a separatelyformed annular seating member is provided for the disc 8. This annularseating is also provided with a recess 9 to receive the marginal edgeportion of the disc and in addition it is preferably provided with astepped shoulder 16 for engagement with a complementary shaped marginaledge portion 17 on the end wall of the container.

If desired the membrane like member 13 may be of ribbon like formationand be secured to the disc like member at opposite sides of the apertureor apertures therethrough so that when in use the central portion of theflap may be readily displaced by the paste like material being forcedthrough the aperture and subsequently return into firm engagement withthe disc like member under the influence of atmospheric pressure asaforesaid.

According to a further modification as illustrated in FIGURES 4, themarginal edge portion of the disc like member is in the form of anendless rim 18 having an endless rib 19 thereon adapted to fit within acomplementary shaped recess 21 in the marginal edge portion of the topwall of the container. In this case the membrane like member may also beof ribbon like formation and of such a length that it may be securedbetween the disc like member and the top wall of the container in such amanner as to bridge the aperture through the disc.

The connections between the membrane like member and its associated disctogether with the assembled body portion and its top wall and the valveunit may be completed by heat sealing, the use of an adhesive or in anyother suitable manner that would be well known to per- :sons skilled inthe plastic art.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the improved tube likecontainer is particularly cheap to produce and that the improved valveunit may be easily fitted in the desired operative position.

Furthermore as the contents of the tube are expelled, the empty portionof the tube remains substantially fiat where its walls have beensqueezed together and thus provides the desired visual indication of thequantity of material remaining in the tube similar to the conventionalmetal type of collapsible container.

Still another important advantage is that the inherent properties, forexample, of Polythene render it particu larly suitable for marketingjams, sauces, honey, soups, fiavourings, condenser milk and many otherfood substances.

Should the contents of the improved container include relatively smallhard particles such as the pip in raspberry jam, no difficulty isexperienced in preventing the undesirable entry of air into thecontainer when in use for the reason that the nature of the membranelike member enables it to snugly fit over any such pips that may remainon the face of the aperture disc and at the same time firmly engage thesurrounding surface of the disc for sealing purposes.

In some cases it may be desirable to provide the plastic body portionwith some form of protective covering. For example, if the container isadapted for use with milk or a milk product, the plastic body portion ispreferably provided with a protective foil of aluminium or othermaterial in order to prevent deterioration of the product.

On the other hand by forming the improved container from P.V.C. forexample, it is particularly adapted for the marketing of paints and awide variety of other paste like substances.

Obviously, the tube like body portion 2 need not necessarily be ofcircular form in cross section but may be of square, oval or any othersuitable shape. Similarly the aforesaid plate like member 8 of the valveunit need not necessarily be of circular disc like form but its shapemay also vary so as to fit snugly within the body portion of thecontainer.

The thickness of the aforesaid disc like member is not critical but itshould be appreciated that the associated membrane like member should beof relatively thin plastic or like material in order to function in thedesired mannet. As previously mentioned a membrane like flap or ribbonof approximately two thousandths of an inch 7 thick has proved to bequite satisfactory. However it is to be understood that the invention isnot limited to a membrane like member of that thickness. For example thethickness of the membrane like member may range from about fivethousandths of an inch )1 down to one thousandth of an inch 0/ or evenless depending upon the diameter of the container, the aperture orapertures in the disc and the type of material packed in the container.

It is to be understood that various minor alterations, modificationsand/or additions may be introduced into the foregoing without departingfrom the ambit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. An improved container for marketing and dispensing pastelikesubstances including foodstuifs having solid pips of matter, comprisinga tubular body portion composed of a plastic material having theproperty of retaining its shape and closed at the lower end, a topsection connected to the upper end of said body portion to completelyclose the body portion and including a top wall terminating in an axialnozzle fitted with a removable closure, a nonreturn valve unit toprevent access of air to said body portion after compression thereof forpreventing return of the body to its original shape and thereby yield avisual indication of the amount of pastelike substance remaining in thecontainer, and means for mounting said unit in said top section to formtherewith a unitary assembly having space between said nonreturn valveunit and said nozzle, said nonreturn valve unit ineluding an apertureddisc extending transversely of said top section and a displaceablemembrane in sealing engagement with said apertured disc and located onthe upper side of the disc facing said nozzle, said disc being stiff andrelatively much thicker than said membrane, said membrane being formedof a plastic material and having a thickness of from about onethousandth of an inch to about five thousandths of an inch, saidmembrane being secured to said disc at least at one side of the aperturetherein so as to overlie said aperture, said membrane also beingsufliciently flexible to conform to irregularities in the upper surfaceof the disc and to the shapes of any solid pips of matter deposited onthe upper surface of the disc, whereby after some of the pastelikesubstance has been discharged by compressing the tubular body portion,the influence of atmospheric pressures on the pastelike materialremaining between the valve unit and the nozzle causes said material tofunction as a ram and to press said membrane back into sealingengagement with said apertured disc despite the temporary lodgement ofsolid pips of matter beneath said membrane.

2. An improved container according to claim 1 wherein said top sectionincludes a circular recess to receive the marginal edge portion of saiddisc and a series of circumferentially spaced and inwardly projectingribs between said recess and said nozzle and having their lower endscoaligned with the adjacent upper edge of said recess.

3. An improved container according to claim 1 wherein said membrane is aribbon secured at its opposite ends between said disc and said top wallin such a manner that the ribbon bridges the apertured disc in sealingrelation when the compressed container body portion is released andunseals the apertured disc when the body portion is compressed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,122,868 Davis Dec. 29, 1914 1,972,344 Jackson Sept. 4, 1934 2,133,411Zohe Oct. 18, 1938 2,761,833 Ward Sept. 4, 1956

1. AN IMPROVED CONTAINER FOR MARKETING AND DISPENSING PASTELIKESUBSTANCES INCLUDING FOODSTUFFS HAVING SOLID PIPS OF MATTER, COMPRISINGA TUBULAR BODY PORTION COMPOSED OF A PLASTIC MATERIAL HAVING THEPROPERTY OF RETAINING ITS SHAPE AND CLOSED AT THE LOWER END, A TOPSECTION CONNECTED TO THE UPPER END OF SAID BODY PORTION TO COMPLETELYCLOSE THE BODY PORTION AND INCLUDING A TOP WALL TERMINATING IN AN AXIALNOZZLE FITTED WITH A REMOVABLE CLOSURE, A NONRETURN VALVE UNIT TOPREVENT ACCESS OF AIR TO SAID BODY PORTION AFTER COMPRESSION THEREOF FORPREVENTING RETURN OF THE BODY TO ITS ORGINAL SHAPE AND THEREBY YIELD AVISUAL INDICATION OF THE AMOUNT OF PASTELIKE SUBSTANCE REMAINING IN THECONTAINER, AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID UNIT IN SAID TOP SECTION TO FORMTHEREWITH A UNITARY ASSEMBLY HAVING SPACE BETWEEN SAID NONRETURN VALVEUNIT AND SAID NOZZLE, SAID NONRETURN VALVE UNIT INCLUDING AN APERTUREDDISC EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID TOP SECTION AND A DISPLACEABLEMEMBRANE IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID APERTURED DISC AND LOCATED ONTHE UPPER SIDE OF THE DISC FACING SAID NOZZLE, SAID DISC BEING STIFF ANDRELATIVELY MUCH THICKER THAN SAID MEMBRANE, SAID MEMBRANE BEING FORMEDOF A PLASTIC MATERIAL AND HAVING A THICKNESS OF FROM ABOUT ONETHOUSANDTH OF AN INCH TO ABOUT FIVE THOUSANDTHS OF AN INCH, SAIDMEMBRANE BEING SECURED TO SAID DISC AT LEAST AT ONE SIDE OF THE APERTURETHEREIN SO AS TO OVERLIE SAID APERTURE, SAID MEMBRANE ALSO BEINGSUFFICIENTLY FLEXIBLE TO CONFORM TO IRREGULARITIES IN THE UPPER SURFACEOF THE DISC AND TO THE SHAPES OF ANY SOLID PIPS OF MATTER DEPOSITED ONTHE UPPER SURFACE OF THE DISC, WHEREBY AFTER SOME OF THE PASTELIKESUBSTANCE HAS BEEN DISCHARGED BY COMPRESSING THE TUBULAR BODY PORTION,THE INFLUENCE OF ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURES ON THE PASTELIKE MATERIALREMAINING BETWEEN THE VALVE UNIT AND THE NOZZLE CAUSES SAID MATERIAL TOFUNCTION AS A RAM AND TO PRESS SAID MEMBRANE BACK INTO SEALINGENGAGEMENT WITH SAID APERTURED DISC DESPITE THE TEMPORARY LODGEMENT OFSOLID PIPS OF MATTER BENEATH SAID MEMBRANE.